As expected in the past few days, tropical storm Isaias hit the east coast of the United States. Its strong winds, accompanied by heavy rains, have left at least two dead and knocked out power to several million people. A driver was killed by a falling tree on his vehicle, while another person has been seriously injured by a branch, " said New York city mayor Bill de Blasio. Isaias had already been one death in North Carolina, where his eye had made landfall in the night of Monday to Tuesday, with winds of up to 140 km/h, which was then a hurricane of category 1 (out of 5).

The depression is gradually weakened in the day as it progressed towards the north-east of the country, through Virginia, the federal capital, Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. But it has still caused damage and knocked out power to nearly 3 million people, according to the site poweroutage.us, the majority, in the State of New Jersey. "We see trees and branches ripped through the city ", " take this seriously. If you don't have to be out, stay home ", had been alerted on Twitter, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York city, including ferry services, train and some portions air of the subway had been closed.

The authorities in new york city, still marked by the devastating passage of hurricane Sandy in 2012, had installed seawalls in the south of Manhattan in the morning in anticipation of a possible rise of the water. But "the storm has provided, above all wind up here, more than floods," noted Bill de Blasio on a local television channel.

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Double threat

According to the latest bulletin from the national hurricane Center (NHC), Isaias was moving at 20 local time (midnight GMT) to the top of Vermont, before you quickly reach Canada with winds maximum sustained 80 km/h. " I invite all those in the path of the storm to remain vigilant and to follow the recommendations of their State and local authorities ", said in the after-noon the president Donald Trump during a press conference at the White House. The NHC had issued a notice of vigilance to tornadoes to several States, including Pennsylvania and New York, but the worst seems to have been avoided.

In North Carolina, used every summer, or almost, to the passage of storms and hurricanes, "the damage has not been as severe as they could have been," said on ABC governor Roy Cooper. While his State was one of those confronted in the country in a resurgence of the epidemic of Covid-19, he asked the inhabitants, in spite of the arrival of the storm, don't forget to follow the gestures of the barriers. He explained Tuesday morning that a larger number of shelters had to be planned to allow for social distancing to the interior thereof.

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Threat in Florida

Isaias had first threatened Sunday, the Florida, one of the epicenters for the current outbreak of novel coronavirus in the United States. Screening centres of the Covid-19, many of whom are housed in tents, had to be closed. The authorities feared the devastating effect of the accumulation of this health crisis with the passage of the depression, but the "Sunshine State" has finally been spared.

Isaias had done last week a victim in the u.s. territory of Puerto Rico, a 56 year old woman whose vehicle was swept away by the waters. Depression has also done damage, as measured, in the dominican Republic, in Haiti and in the Bahamas.